Contrast

Using your novels complete the table below.

Contrast shown by
Adiga

Darkness and Light

Quote where the contrast Explain the

is explored
context of the
quote
Please understand, Your
Excellency, that India is two
countries in one: an India of Light,
and an India of Darkness. ( p. 14,
1st night)

Balram visualises two

Indias that of the lighturban coastal India, and
that of the darkness- rural
India where the Ganga is a
symbol of bringing
Darkness e.g Slaves will
remain slave because they
cant see whats beautiful
in the world, as they are
constantly oppressed by
their masters. It also forms
as a barrier in that to, the
social hierarchy of India.
Balram is able to transcend
this barrier as he has
acquired unique abilities
that a rare individual
holds- a White Tiger.
Balram also fully doesnt

Explain and
evaluate Adigas
meaning behind
the contrast.
The darkness is for
people the poor who live
in bad conditions, while
the light is for people
who have brought Delhi
to something.

Darkness and Light

These poor bastards had come

from the Darkness to Delhi to find
some light but they were still in
the darkness.(p. 138)

understand if he is part of
the light because the
barrier is beyond the
control of his.
Delhi is seen as the light to
the people of India, but
even moving to Delhi
cannot transcend people
into the light because they
are still poor and live in
poverty. To become truly
part of the light, it takes
the courage and strength
of the White Tiger, the
poor bastards dont have
these skills and thus they
remain in darkness.

Adiga is showing the

struggles to transition
from the darkness to the
light, even if you are
seen in the distinct
district of the light you
may not be light yourself
as they may still be
living in poverty and
sickness. To overcome
these boundaries Adiga
contrast them to
someone like Balram
who is considered a
White Tiger because of
his vast amount of
qualities that make him
superior to those living
in the darkness. To
become part of the light
Adiga is representing
you must be able to
change India and
contribute to its
development which
these poor bastards

cannot.
Darkness and Light

The Light and the Darkness both

flow in to Delhi. Gurgaon, where Mr.
Ashok lived, is the bright, modern
end of the city, and this place. Old
Delhi is the other end. Full of things
that the modern world forget all
about rickshaws, old stone buildings
and Muslims

This quote demonstrates

that even though Delhi is
considered the light, there
is still darkness in Delhi
and that is why people who
travel to the light are still
not considered a part of it.
Delhi to like every city has
its good and bad parts, the
old parts of Delhi are its
bad parts. Old Delhi
seemingly is living in the
past, forgotten things for
the rich still lie hear
because it will never
develop as the investment
is in making the better
parts of the city even
better because the rich
bring in revenue to these
parts of the city. The better
parts also attract tourism,
to hide the
underdeveloped parts and
provide an income from
foreign travellers.

Adiga is trying to
demonstrate a city that
is considered light, but
will never fully be light
until the poor of Delhi
are ridden from it. By
associating the poor with
Old Delhi and it
underdevelopment it is
pointing a finger at
because the poor remain
slaves, constantly
focused on staying alive
they will never think to
develop because they
are trapped in society
where they cannot revolt
because their constantly
oppressed from the light
of Delhi. While the light
is considered modern
because its development
is far revolutionising the
city because people who
are part of the light are
considered by Adiga to
be able to make change
to India, and that is why
it is in constant

development.
Darkness and Light

You see, I am in the Light now, but

I was born and raised in Darkness (
p. 14, 1st night)

Darkness and Light

shine light on my dark story

Because Balram is
describing an overview of
his story, he is
demonstrating his success
in achieving to break the
coop and to become part
of the light. He is
considered part of the light
because he made a
difference to India, he
revolted against the
oppression of Ashok by
determining him at his
weakest stage and killed
him. Following this he also
set up White Tiger
Technology Drivers which
was another change he
made to India through his
entrepreneurial skills.
Balram is used this as an
analogy, his story is
considered dark because
he committed murder, but
also because he was
considered for a majority
of the book part of the
darkness that is why this
link has been

Adiga is giving a
synopsis of the
contrasting change
Balram has made to
become part of the light
from being born in the
darkness. This quote is a
dynamic summary as it
gives the reader a sense
of how far it has taken
Balram to become a part
of the light.

Adiga used imagery for

past and present, light is
progress.

Wealth and Poverty

The rich always get the best things

in life, and all that we get is the
leftovers. p. 198

characterised. To his story

ends with him becoming a
much lighter part in
society and this connects
with light because it is
considered in India you are
part of the light when you
have made a change to
India.
It is true that because the
rich are rich they can
acquire power of people
lesser in money and status
then them as an example
in White Tiger is the rich
rig the elections through
bribes so the one who
most favours their lifestyle
will stay in power. In turn
they make the poor suffer
through lesser by using
them as profit until they
become nothing more than
a servant, this domination
provides nothing for them
except in what the rich
dont want and find
attractive to them which
will cycle down to the poor.
Either it be they dont want

Adiga is demonstrating
the situation of the poor
relative to life, as the
wealth of the rich brings
possessions that the
poor cannot quite buy,
but it also demonstrates
this nave nature in
Balram for he doesnt
understand that family
can come without this
cost

Wealth and Poverty

The more I stole from him, the

more I realized how much he had
stolen from me. p. 196

Wealth and Poverty

The dreams of the rich, and the

dreams of the poor - they never
overlap, do they? See, the poor
dream all their lives of getting
enough to eat and looking like the
rich. And what do the rich dream
of? Losing weight and looking like
the poor.

Wealth and Poverty

Do we loathe our masters behind a

facade of love - or do we love them
behind a facade of loathing?

this prostitute because

there are higher ranking
ones.
After Balram steals from
Ashok he realises Ashok
doesnt even relies that
hes stealing from him
because hes just so rich.
This in turn realised how
little profit he was actually
receiving from Ashok as in
a way being cheated from
Ashok because he was
receiving just so little.
Balram contrast the
difference motives
between the poor and rich
which are ironic in some
sense. He believes that the
rich spend their lives trying
to get a perfect figure,
similar to the weight of the
poor while the poor spend
their lives trying to actually
put on weight to survive.
Balram questions the
poors deceptive
appearance on how they
view their masters. He is
not sure in understanding

Adiga conveying a
meaning that Ashok
wealth had enabled him
to not even realise he
was being stolen from,
while Balrams limited
income is evident that
stealing from Ashok
doesnt make a cent
difference to the rich
while it makes a huge
difference to the poor
Adiga is contrasting the
unique ambitions of the
poor and rich that in
itself contrast each other
as the rich want to be
skinny and the poor
want to be fat

Adiga is contrasting the

poors deceptive
appearances on the rich,
that Balram cant quite
underpin because he has

the real relationship

between the poor and the
rich because it is so
complicated to express.

Wealth and Poverty

We were like two separate cities inside and outside the egg...I was in
some way out of the car too, even
while I was driving it.(p. 116)

Morality and Immorality

(The) tale of how I was corrupted

from a sweet, innocent village fool
into a citified fellow full of
debauchery, depravity, and
wickedness. (p.189)

Balram starkly contrast the

rich and poor are
described when Balram
first reaches Delhi as he
compares the rich inside
the egg, while the poor are
out on the street
pavements. He feels torn
apart though as he sees
his father features in some
beggar on the street and
believes thats a part of
him.
This is the conclusion of
Balrams process of
change from village boy to
a social entrepreneur
connected with his selfdisdain for what hes
become.

mixed feelings about

Ashok, similarly it
questions the reader on
Ashok own thoughts to
Balram, if he is just
being deceptive or if his
emotions are the truth
Adiga is regularly in the
book contrasting the rich
and the poor, hear
Balram feels a sense he
is a part of the rich now,
but his fathers slave
blood will always run in
his veins as he can
never fully escape the
darkness

Adiga is contrasting
Laxmangarh and Delhis
impact on Balram, where
he has become wicked
due to the freeness, and
social corruption that
Delhi has brought and
rather Laxmangarh is
innocent village for how
the landlords have

controlled it
Morality and Immorality

the Animals stayed and fed on the

village, and everything that grew in
it, until there was nothing left for
anyone else to feed on

Morality and Immorality

The Rooster Coop needs people like

me to break out of it. It needs
masters like Mr.
Ashok - who, for all his numerous
virtues, was not much of a master to be weeded out,and exceptional
servants like me to replace him. (p.
275)

Morality and Immorality

Once the master of the Honda City

becomes corrupted, how can the
driver stay
innocent? (p. 167)

The quote is an analogy of

the landlords oppression
over Laxmangarh,
highlighting their traits as
being selfish and greedy
by taking the income and
resources of the village
peasants for their benefit
in providing themselves
with revenue. While on the
other hand the peasants
work to provide for their
family with this constant
harassment
To make the coop effective,
India must have people to
break out of it so morally
right or weak masters can
be replaced with servants
who are immoral and can
restore a balance between
the rich and the poor

Ashok is responsible for

Balram, and if Ashoks
becomes weak, then its
the drivers cannot be in
control committing an act

Adiga is identifying the

social structure of
Laxmangarh, in how the
poor is always oppressed
by the rich because to
survive they do not care
about fighting the rich,
and this allows the rich
to manipulate the poor
to pay them so they can
strive to survive

Adiga is representing the

structure of the rooster
coop in how a master
always allows the
roosters to stay in the
coop, because when a
master becomes to weak
a rooster kill that master
in order to retain a
balanced oppression
Adiga is excusing Balram
for his actions of
planning and killing
Ashok, as it was Ashoks
own fault for showing

beyond reason

Morality and Immorality

Here, if a man wants to be good, he

can be good. In Laxmangarh, he
doesnt even have
this choice. This is the difference
between this India and that India:
the choice. (p. 263)

Ironic Contrasts

The main thing to know about

Delhi is that the roads are good,
and the people are bad (p. 124)

Balram compares the

situation of people in
Laxmangarh to Bangalore,
because he is part of the
light and is not being
oppressed by the
landlords, Balram believes
that there is a great deal of
choice in Bangalore
because its a lot more
free. Whereases in
Laxmangarh a man cannot
be good because he is
constantly driven by the
landlords and his family
Balram contrast the two
differences of Delhi, as he
believes that the city has
developed well compared
to his village of
Laxmangarh with
revolutionary roads, but its
not the same for the

this weakness to Balram.

This contrast between
master and servant as
Balram will eventually be
Ashoks master rather
then Ashok being his
master
Adiga is identifying why
Balram acts differently in
Bangalore to
Laxmangarh, he couldnt
be good because he was
constantly oppressed by
the landlords, while in
Bangalore there is no
oppression in people
telling you what to do
because its a lot freer.

Adiga is contrasting the

differences between
Laxmangarh and Delhi,
while the roads are good
in Delhi they are crap in
Laxmangarh, and while
the majority of people in
are Laxmangarh are

Ironic Contrasts

I protected his good name when I

was his servant, and now that I am
(in a sense) his
master, I wont stop protecting his
good name.( p. 39)

Ironic Contrasts

These days, there are just two

castes: Men with Big Bellies, and
Men with Small Bellies. And only
two destinies: eat or get eaten
up. (p. 64)

people like the ones from

his village in Laxmangarh
as they are corrupted with
Murder Weekly magazines
and destroying their
mouths with Paan
Balram respects Ashok as
a master ever since he met
him because he was unlike
other masters and
protected the rights a
driver has, but because he
couldnt become the man
he really wanted to be its
in Balrams best interests
to kill Ashok, and he feels
he has become Ashoks
master because he
believes you know a
person better then anyone
before they die.
This is to identify the two
parts of India, there are
men with big bellies
being typically the
landlords and government
officers, then there is the
men with Small Bellies,
comprising of slaves e.g.
rickshaw pullers, drivers,

oppressed they mean

well, this is different to
Delhi who where the
people are free but have
corrupted themselves
Adiga is contrasting the
change once Balram
killed Ashok he has
effectively become his
master, while Ashok has
become the servant.
Oppressed from the new
rule of Balram, but too
Adiga wanted to show
that Balram did always
respect Ashok, he just
couldnt become the
master he wanted him to
be
Adiga is representing the
contrast between the
rich and the poor, while
the rich have eaten
themselves into
becoming fat, this
contrast with the poor
who have little eaten
and thus they have

Ironic Contrasts

I stopped the car, and then moved

to my left, and he moved to his
right, and out bodies passed each
other (so close that the stubble on
his face scraped my cheeks like the
shaving brush that I use every
morning, and the cologne from his
skina lovely, rich, fruity cologne
rushed into my nostrils for a heady
instant, while the smell of my

tea shop workers. But

there is nothing in between
these two extremes, either
your rich or poor its
simple, unlike Australia
where there are rich,
middle and poor class
people. The added
sentence of the end about
the two destinies, is to
use an analogy to
represent the situation in
India for people, if your
poor then the landlords will
feed on you to the day you
die, by using any of your
resources. While the
landlords eat as they make
profit from their acquired
power over the lands.
This is the first instance
where Balram and Ashok
share a moment of
intimacy. This moment is
important as Balram
describes the fleeting
moment in detail and
Balram understands
Ashoks desire to drive the
car. It demonstrates the

small bellies. Similar

Adiga shows this
contrast is in the
densities where the rich
have supreme power so
they can eat, and when
they have no more to
eat they will feed of the
resources of the poor
until they eventually die.

Adiga is demonstrating,
that by switching seats
between the two it has
quickly contrasted the
different positions
between the two. The
difference between the
two is demonstrated
only by wealth and when
Ashok becomes the

servants sweat rubbed off onto his

face), and then he became driver
and I became passenger. (p. 94)
Environmental Contrasts

These people were building homes

for the rich, but they lived in tents
covered with blue tarpaulin sheets,
and partitioned into lanes by lines
of sewage. It was even worse than
Laxmangarh. I picked my way
around broken glass, wire, and
shattered tube lights. The stench of
feces was replaced by the stronger
stench of industrial sewage. The
slum ended in an open sewer - a
small river of black water went
sluggishly past me, bubbles
sparkling in it and little circles
spreading on its surface. Two
children were splashing about in the
black water.

Environmental Contrasts

When the veil is lifted, what will

Bangalore be like? Maybe it will be
a disaster: slums, sewage, shopping
malls, traffic jams, policemen. But
you never know. It may turn out to
be a decent city, where humans can
live like humans and animals can

physical intimacy between

the two and an
interchange between their
positions.
Balram contrasts the
conditions between the
poor and the rich, while
they are ironically building
ethical homes for the rich
to live in, they themselves
live in unethical conditions
as their only shelter is a
tarpaulin sheet surrounded
by sewage lanes. The
children play in this
sewage while the children
of the rich live in these
building that the parents of
the children living in
poverty are tiredly working
to build, while the riches
parents oppress these
workers.
Balram is speculating the
future of India. And while
much of the story is
focused on escaping the
darkness he so to
emphasizing the nearimpossibility of escaping

driver this is there only

real difference.

Adiga represents
throughout the book
contrast between the
rich and the poor and
how the rich always get
whats better in life.
Similarly he is showing
hear how the rich have
constantly oppressed the
poor to use power to
enforce them to build
shelters for themselves
while the poor live in
shelters hardly ethical to
cover an animal

Adiga is posing the two

very different
possibilities that India
could be in the future of
Balrams success, which
would require radical
change. He weighs up

Environmental Contrasts

live like animals. A new Bangalore

for a new India. And then I can say
that, in my own way, I helped to
make New Bangalore.

the Darkness, which is

likely Bangalores future.
Even through Balrams
success he truly doesnt
believe India will never
become a place where
social mobility and dignity
can be achieved without
change the whole entire
social structure which
would require a revolution.

The rich of Delhi, to survive winter,

keep electrical heaters, or gas
heaters, or even burn logs of wood
in their fireplaces. When the
homeless, or servants like night
watchmen who are forced to spend
time outside in winter, want to keep
warm, they burn whatever they can

An ironic environmental
contrast is the conditions
to keep alive in the winter
between the rich and the
poor, while the rich have
multiple resources that
keep them warm the poor
have to find resources to

the likely possibility that

is will be its usual selfslum ridden, police
corrupted, jammed in
traffic. Or it could
become a civilised
nation based of the
structures of free
countries as America,
England and Australia.
By showing these
contrasting factors Adiga
is emphasising such a
journey for India would
require the
determination of Balram
story, it would need a
large group in unity to
risk everything to make
India the idealistic
country that Australia
strives for.
Adiga is describing the
contrasting environment
of the men with big
bellies compared to the
men with small bellies.
To get us on Balrams
sight of view to break
from the coop we must

find on the ground.

keep warm.

be opened up to the
luxurious qualities of the
environment that the
rich live in compared to
the flee ridden, diseased
environments of the
poor. By contrasting a
conventional
environment that the
readers are used to, to a
harsh environment that
the poor must struggle
to survive in we feel a
sense of empathy to the
poor and why Balram is
determined to break the
coop